And herevpon he stood very stoutlye, but to small purpose.

Then, when he perccaved that they would proceed in iudgement against him, he sayde, they had no lawe so to do. And with that he turned him about to the people, and sayd: Good people, I trust ye see, howe violently I am vsed, and howe vniustly and contrary to al iustice and equitic they vse mec.

And he added, that he had good hope, that he was not destitute of some friendes there, that would geue notice and knowlege to the most Catholycke Prynce hys maister how cruelly they dealt with him.

And then, again beyng called upon to answere, one said vnto him, "Maister Storye, because you thynke it violence that is shewed vnto you instead of lawe and justice, you shall knowe that we do nothyng but that wee maye do doth by lawe and equitie.

And then one of the judges said: This is Scarborowes case. Nay, said Story, my case is not Scarborowes case; but indeede I had Scar. borowes warnynge to come to this arraignement, for I knew nothynge therof vntyll vij. of the clocke in the mornynge.

Then there was a booke delyuered hymn to read, wherin he might see what they might doo by lawe; and, after he had read it, the iudge demaunded of him how he liked it? And he answered, God haue mercie vpon mee. Then the Lorde Chief Justice gaue him iudgement to be drawen, hanged, and quartred, and so was he agayne sent vnto the Tower.

And as he went, by the way, certayne persons in seuerall places met with him, and one said: 'Oh Story, Story, thou art a strange Story: Remember Mayster Bradford, that godly man, his blood asketh vengeaunce on thee, Story, repent in tyme. Another cryed on hym and said, Story, call to mynde the rigour that thou shewedest vpon Maister Read, a gentleman, whom thou diddest vtterly destroy, aske God for geuenesse, Story, for that wicked deede.'

Another cryed unto hym and saide: Blessed be God, Story, that hath made thee partaker of suche breade, as thou wast wont to deale to the innocent membres of Jesus Christe.'

Another also cryed out vpon him, and saide: Story, Story, the abhominable cup of fornication and filthynes, that thou hast giuen other to drinke, be heaped vp topfull, that thy plagues maye be the greater at the terrible daye of Gods wrath and vengeaunce, vnlesse thou aske mercy for thy filthy, corrupte, and stinkyng lyfe. And yet again, another cryed out vnto hym and said: I pray God that thy hart be not hardened, as was Pharaos, and made harder then the adamant stone, or the steele, that, when he woulde, he could not repent and call for grace.'

And, among al the rest, one came to him at London Stone, and saluted him with this meeter, saying,

Maister Doctor Story,

For you they are right sory

The Court of Louaine and Rome.

Your holy father, the Pope,

Cannot saue you from the rope,

The hangman must haue your gowne.

To which he answered not one word.

THE first daye of June, the saide Story was drawn npon an herdell from the Tower of London vnto Tiborn, wher was prepared for him a newe payre of gallowes made in triangular maner. And, by the way as he went, many people spake vnto hym, and called vpon hym to repent his tirrannie and wickednes, and wylled him to call vpon God for mercy: But he lay as though he had ben asleepe, and would not speake to any person.

And, when he was taken from the herdell and set in a carte, he made there a solempne protestation, and said:

'I am come hither to die; and truely, if this death were ten times more fierce and sharp then it is, I haue deserued it.

I have lyved the space of threescore and vij. yeres, and now my body must abyde this temporall payne and punishment prouyded for mee here in this lyfe, by meane whereof, my daies shall be cut off. But, where at the first I stoode in feare of death, I thanke God, this night passed I haue ben comforted with good and godly men, that the feare of death is taken from my sight. And now I appeale to God the Father, trustyng in the passion of his Sonne Christ lesus, and hopynge, by the shedding of his blood only, to be saued. And althoughe of a long tyme I could not applie the vertue of his passion and death to the vse and be nefite of my soule, because of my longe houerynge in feare; yet nowe, I thanke God, I know how to applye this medicyne, as for example:

A pothecarye maye haue a medicine liyng in his shop vij. yeres, that maye helpe a sicke or diseased man by the counsayle of a physicion; but, if this medicyne be not applyed to the pacient, but styl remaineth in the pothecaries shop, it profiteth nothyng; no more, said he, coulde the benefite of Christes death healpe mee; because, though I knew the medicyne good, I did not applie it vnto my soules helth; but now that it hath pleaseth Almightye God to call mee to accompt of my lxvij. yeres, which now must haue an end, and this corrupt body must feele a temporall punishement, for my sinnes haue deserued it (as I sayd before) I am now come to the proofe of this medicine.

Dauid, when he had committed adulterie with Barsabe, the wife of Urias (whose husband also he caused to be put in the front of the battell, and so was he murthered) he for that trespasse felt a temporall punishment by the losse of the lyfe of his son, which he loued tenderly.

Also, when he nombred his people, he greatly displeased God; and, for his offence and transgression, he felt a temporall payne; and choyce was geuen vnto him from aboue, to choose one of these iij temporall and bodily punishments: That is to saye, three daies pestilence; the sworde, that is to say, bloodie battel vij yeres; or famyne vij yeres.

And he thought to choose the least; and he chose three daies pestilence. But this scourge tooke away an infinite nombre of his subiectes. So nowe as my sinnes deserue a temporall payne, whiche here haue an ende, euen in this flesh; I am of the same minde that the prophet Dauid was; and with him I agree saying: Inuoco te Domine, &c. Lord, I call

vpon thee in this day of my trouble, heare mee, O Lorde, out of hy dwelling place,' &c.

But nowe to speake a little of my arraignment; when I was at Westminster, I alleaged in my plea that I was no subiect of this realme, as I

did likewise before the Queenes commissioners, Sir Thomas Wrath, Maister Thomas Wilbraham, late Recorder of the citie of London, Maister Peter Osborne, Maister Marshe, and Maister Doctor Wattes; where the Recorder of London made lyke demaunde as was demaunded of me at Westminster; and that was, Whether I was borne in Englande, or no? Whervnto I aunswered, I was.

Then sayde he, it followeth that you are and ought to continue the Queenes faithfull subiec. Wherunto I replied then as I do nowe, saying, I am sworne to the noble kyng, defendour of the auneient catholique faith, Kyng Philip, Kyng of Spaine; and he is sworne again by a solempne and corporall othe, to maintayne and defende the Uniuersitie of Louaine, whereof I am a member, and therefore no subiect of this realme, ne yet subiect to any lawes therof.

For it is well known, that I departed this realme beynge freelye licensed therunto by the Queene, who accompted me an abicct and castawaye, and I came not hether agayne of myne owne accorde; but I was betrayed.

And although I had an inckelyng given mee before of such a thing pretended towardes mee, yet I coulde not shun nor escape it. For fure it was God that made dym myne vnderstandyng, and blynded myne eyes, so that I could not perceyve it. But holye writ commandeth mee to loue my enemics, and here I forgeue them freely with all my hart, beseechyng God that they take no harme for me in another countrey; I would be right sorye they should, although they betrayed me.

I trauayled with them from shyp to shyp, by the space of eight yeres, and mistrusted no perill to be at hand, vntyll I was clapt fast under the hatches.

But sure, sure, it was God that wrought it; yea, and although I was accompted a poller of the Englyshmen of yourcountrey; I stand nowe here before God, and by the death I shall die, I had neuer out of any shyp more then two pecces of golde, and forty dallers that was laid in my hand.

But once agayne, to my arraignment, where there were certain letters laid to my charge, wherin I should go about to prouoke the Nortons, the Neuilles, and others to rebell, I neuer meant it; yet will I discharge my conscience freely and frankly and tell you trueth. There was a commission for a lyke matter sent into Scotland, which I wrote with myne owne hande; but it conteyned a prouiso, wherin the Queene of England and her dominions were excepted.

There are yet two thinges that I purpose to talke of; namely, for that ther are here present a great nombre of youth; and I would to God I might saye or speke that which might bring all men to the vnitie of the church; for there is but one church, one flocke, and one shepherde; if I could this do, I would think myselfe to haue wrought a good worke.

The first poynct toucheth my crueltie, wherwith I am sore burdened; and the second concerneth my religion.

As touchyng the first, there were three in commission, of the whiche I was one that might do least, for I was the last of the three. And

thoughe I might by perswasion assaye to cause them to reuoke the articles that they had maintayned, and to confesse the presence, wherin I stande; ye knowe that he, that chydeth, is not worthy to be condemned for fighting; no more am I worthy to be condemned for fighting; no more am I worthy to be counted cruell for chydynge; it was the Bishop that pronounced the sentence excommunicamus, and against that I could not do, for I was one of the layetie.

Yet oftentimes the Bishop, to whom I was servant, was bold with mee when he had so many prisoners that he could not well bestow them. For at one tyme the Lorde Riche sent him out of Essex xxviij, and at another tyme xxiiij, also at another tyme xvi, and xiiij. and some of them were sent to mee, whiche I kept in my house with suche fare as I had prouided for myselfe and my famylic, at myne owne cost and charge.

And, to proue that I was not so cruell as I am reported to bec, let this one tale suffice; there were at one tyme xxviij condempned to the fire, and I moued the deane of Paules to tender and pitie their estate, whiche after was abbot of Westminster, a very pitiful minded man; I thincke the moste parte of you know him, it is Mr. Fecknam, and we went up and perswaded with them, and we found them very tractable. And Mr. Fecknam and I laboured to the Lorde Cardinal Poole, shewynge that they were

Nescientes quid fecerunt,

The Cardinall and we did sue together to the Queene, and layd both the swordes together, and so we obteyned pardon for them al, sauynge an olde woman that dwelt aboute Paules Churchyard; shee would not conuert, and therfore she was burned. The rest of them receyved absolution, and that with a reverence; serch the Register, and you shall finde it.

Yea, and it was my procurement that there should be no more burnt in London, for I saw well that it woulde not preuaile, and therfore we sent them into odde corners into the country.

Wherfore I pray you, name me not cruell, I would be loth to haue any suche slaunder to ron on mee. But, sith I dye in charitie, I pray you al of charitie to pray for mee, that God may strengthen mee with patience to suffer my death; to the whiche I yelde most wyllyngly.

And here I make a peticion to you my frendes that woulde haue bestowed any thyng on mee, I beseeche you, for eharitie sake, bestow it yerely on my wife, who hath foure small children, and God hath nowe taken mee away, that was her staffe and stay; and nowe my doughter Weston and her three chyldren are gone ouer vnto her, and I know not how they shal do for foode, vnlesse they go a beggynge from door to door for it; although indede no English persons do begge but of English, beyng helped by the lady Dorm. and Sir Francisco; I haue good hope that you wyll be good vnto her, for she is the faythfullest wife, the louyngest and constantest that euer man had. And twise we haue lost all that euer we had, and nowe she hath lost mee to her great griefe I knowe.

The second poynct, that I thought to speke of, is concerning my religion, for that I know manie are desirous to know what faith I will dye in, the whiche I will briefely touch; I saye with Sainct Iherome, that auncient father and piller of the old auncient, catholique, and apostolicke churche, grounded vpon the patriarkes, prophetes, and apostles, that, in the same faith that I was borne in, I purpose to dye. And as the arcke, that Noe and his family did possesse, figured the ship of Christes Church, out of which ship whosoeuer is cannot be saued. In that ship am I; example; A ship, that is tossed on the floods, is often in daunger of losse on the sandes, and sometimes on the rocke. But, when the men that are in the ship espye present peryll at hande, there is a cockboat, at the tayle of the ship, wherunto they flye for succour; so likewise, I, beynge in the ship of Christ, once fell out of the same ship, and was in present peryl and great danger. But then I, followynge the example of a good maryner, tooke the cock boat, thinkynge to driue to lande, and at the last, beynge in the boat, I espied three oares, that is to wit, contricion, confession, and absolution; and I held al these fast, and euer sence I haue continued in the ship of Christ, of whiche, the Apostle Peter is the guide and principall, and in the faith catholike of my kynge I dye.

Then sayde the Earle of Bedford, Are you not the Queenes subiect? No, sayde Story, and yet I do not exclude the Queene, but I pray for her, her counsaile, and the nobilitie of this realme longe to continue.

Then sayde the Lorde Honsdon: Are you not the Queenes subject, you were borne in England? Then sayde Story, euery man is free borne, and he hath the whole face of the earth before him to dwell and abyde in, where he liketh best; and, if he can not lyue here, he may go els where. Then was there (as I thinke one of the ministers) hearyng him to make so light of our noble Queene and countrey, demaunded of him, whether she was not, next and immediatelye vnder God, supreme head of the churches of Englande and Irelande? whereunto he answered: I come not hither to dispute, but, if shee bee, shee is; my nay wyll not preuayle to proue it otherwise.

And then they cryed, Awaye with the carte; and so he was hanged according to his iudgement.

An Epilogue, or a briefe Conclusion, of the Lufe of the aforesaid Iohn

Story.

THE aforesaid John Story, beside that he was an obstinat Papist and a rancke traitour, he was also, in Queene Maryes time, the cruellest tirant and persecutor of the innocent membres and blessed professors of Christ, that euer was to his power, sithen that cruell tirant Nero. For his whole delectacion and pleasure was, in rackyng, stockyng, whippyng, manaklyng, and burnyng of innocents, without respect either of age, vertue, learnyng, weakenes of wyt, or of a simple boy, or childish wenche; and all was fish that came to the net.